Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or themes in this story that are affiliated with the television series Stargate Sg-1 or Stargate Atlantis or the movie Stargate. Or any other show…Witness if you will…squat (in reference to owning anything)
"Perhaps now." Heru-ur thought aloud. "River." Again, Jack and Daniel watched the girl appear silently from the shadow of Heru-ur's throne and move to where Martouf kneeled on the floor. The Tok'ra was in a relatively good state, considering the fact that he had just died several hours before.
"My lord?" River chanted. She was looking incredibly nervous.
"Find out where the Tok'ra base is and why he is here. And River?" The girl stopped and looked back at him. "Do not fail me again." River dropped to her knees where Martouf stood on his, placing a hand on his shoulder. Suddenly, she and Martouf gasped in pain simultaneously.
"Where is the Tok'ra base?" Heru-ur asked after a few moments.
"Ahh…" River cried out in pain. Martouf's eyes glowed at the same time.
"Speak!" Heru-ur yelled.
"He doesn't know…ah…it was planned, this was all planned." She whispered. Heru-ur had risen from his seat and gestured the jaffa out of the room. He was now standing over the two kneeling on the floor in their pained embrace.
"What was planned?"
"His…capture…the Tok'ra moved and didn't tell him where…he allowed himself to be captured…"
"For what purpose!" Heru-ur asked, raising his voice. An expression of astonishment flashed across River's face and she looked right at the spot where Jack and Daniel stood watching. Or at least, they thought she did, for she had turned away in a second.
"No!" Lantash said. River let him go and they both fell to the floor.
"Kill him!" Heru-ur said in a fury. Martouf's eyes glowed as he died, staring straight at River. In response, a tear fell down her cheek. River rose from the floor, clutching the arm of Heru-ur's throne for balance.
"What else did you learn?" Heru-ur asked.
"Nothing." River replied through gritted teeth, clutching her head.
"Don't lie to me!" The force of Heru-ur's strike sent River sprawling to the floor. Her face was bleeding where he had backhanded her.
"Master please…"
"I keep you so I don't have to spend time and energy torturing captives for information, not so I must beat it out of you. But make no mistake, I will if you compel me. Now speak!" He positioned himself to backhand her again, but she threw up an arm in defense. "Speak." He said in a deadly calm voice. River swallowed loudly.
"There are traitors among you my lord, the jaffa, those that brought the Tok'ra to you. They were part of the plot to fabricate his capture." This seemed to satisfy Heru-ur's curiosity. He walked back to his throne and sat there, deep in contemplation, for several minutes. Daniel was breathing so hard from fighting Jack's hold on him that every heartbeat seemed to shatter the stillness.
"What else did you learn?" Heru-ur asked.
"Naught of importance." The Goa'uld gave her a look, eyes glowing.
"The Tok'ra and the people of the Tau'ri found technology on a planet once ruled by Nirrti." River said, straining. "Technology that allows them to become invisible, my lord."
"You said 'naught of importance'. In what way did this seem unimportant to tell me?" River swallowed again.
"The devices were damaged, they were unable to reproduce the cloaking effect. If they couldn't fix them, then they couldn't be used against you my lord. It seemed unimportant to mention them." Jack could tell Heru-ur didn't buy her excuses, but he nodded anyway.
"Very well." He said. "We will try him again tomorrow. And next time you should be so kind as to mention everything. Whether or not you believe it can be of use is irrelevant." With that, he rose from his throne and left, with River still on the floor.
"Come on." Jack said, walking toward the girl.
"What-?" Daniel asked, still whispering
"It's okay, she already knows we're here. Don't you?" Jack asked. He turned off his invisibility device and held out a hand to help her up.
"Yes, I was aware of a presence beyond Martouf's and my master, but it wasn't until I learned of your plot that I knew you were in the room. For what it is worth, I am sorry about your jaffa friends, I had to give him something."
"Isn't there time to warn them?" Daniel asked. River shook her head.
"He will have already ordered their deaths by now. I am sorry." She repeated.
"You could have given us up anytime you wanted, why didn't you?" Daniel wondered aloud. River raised her eyebrows.
"Think you I want to serve a false god?"
"No, I guess not. I mean to say-"
"Thanks." Jack interrupted. River nodded. She took a seat on an ornate Egyptian stool close to the throne and leaned back, weary.
"What's wrong?" Daniel asked, sitting beside her.
"Using my abilities exacts a great toll on my body. The pain grows worse each time." Daniel and Jack shared a look.
"River, about your abilities, could you tell us about them?" Daniel asked.
"And why you're working for a Goa'uld?" Jack added. River frowned slightly.
"The Goa'uld Nirrti conquered my planet when I was very young. Our Sovereign surrendered within the first day… Nirrti experimented on the surviving population through genetic manipulation. I was one of those subjects upon which her research proved fruitful. I could see the images within another's mind. She called it a 'Gift from on high'.
"Most of the subjects died from the effects of the experiments, but some of us were able to escape. We used our abilities to make our way to the Stargate and we fled to another world much like our own, Varos. Time passed, eventually only a few of us had not died from the damage caused. But we weren't safe on Varos either. Because of our abilities, the townsfolk thought we were evil beings. They killed all of the others…" She trailed off, blinking rapidly.
"I was to be executed a day after Heru-ur arrived on the planet. But one of us had developed pre-cognitive abilities, so we knew he was coming. In truth, he saved my life. The Varonians told Heru-ur about my powers and were able to trade me for their planet's continued freedom."
"That's awful…" Daniel began, but River was shaking her head.
"I do not begrudge them that. It may not have been better than the alternative, but something good did come of-" River's face became full of shock. "Your cloaking devices, quickly! Rashol." River said, standing so suddenly she stumbled. A young jaffa entered brandishing a Zat'n'ktel.
"To whom were you speaking River?" Rashol asked, looking at her as a parent looks at a guilty child. She had no time to reply.
"Please!" River said. "Do not harm him, he is a friend!" She placed herself between Daniel's Zat gun and the Jaffa, arms outstretched. He struggled for a moment, but eventually lowered his weapon.
"Who are these?" Rashol asked as River dropped her guard.
"They are the warriors of the Tau'ri, Rashol. And they are friends."
"Friends?" Rashol breathed, "Have you taken leave of your senses girl! Heru-ur will kill us both for this!" He looked Daniel up and down and shook his head in disbelief.
"He is not aware of their presence."
"She's telling the truth. We can help." Daniel said.
"Daniel?" Jack questioned, looking at him with slight frustration. What was he getting them into this time?
"Well it makes perfect sense Jack. We can stop Heru-ur from getting any more powerful by helping River escape! She is the big advantage Jacob sent us here to find."
"So we help her, she can't help Heru-ur."
"Exactly." Rashol cleared his throat loudly. Daniel and Jack suddenly remembered the other two occupants of the artifact room.
"You would help me? Why?" River asked suspiciously.
"You don't already know?" Jack wondered aloud.
"I require physical contact to…read your minds. Please, tell me, why would you help me?"
"Because by helping you escape we can complete our mission to stop Heru-ur's power…thing." Jack said. River frowned.
"Lord Heru-ur rarely allows me to leave his presence. Attempting to aide in my escape would be difficult if not impossible. You could attain your goal more easily by simply killing me."
"That's not how we do things." Jack said. River looked intently at his eyes, and after a moment, nodded. Rashol sighed, leaning against the wall.
"How do you intend to escape?"
"We were gonna steal a cargo ship." Jack said as-a-matter-of-factly.
"But we can't leave without our friend." Daniel added.
"You speak of the Tok'ra?" Rashol asked. They nodded.
"I have heard much of the Tau'ri warriors, but I do not believe you can help River or your friend escape without my assistance. I can create a diversion outside the Sarcophagus chamber. The Tok'ra is there. When you have him, I will open the cargo-bay doors for you."
"Why should we trust you?" Jack asked.
"Lord Heru-ur ordered me to ensure River's welfare." Rashol smiled mischievously. "I take my assignments very seriously." Jack looked blown-away.
"You made a joke…"